Ever had a situation where you were trying to manual focus on something that was very difficult to see in your view finder?  Maybe it is a subject very far away, or maybe you are using a very shallow depth of field and you can't quite tell if the exact plane you want is tack sharp.

If you have a relatively modern DSLR, you switch your camera into "live view" mode.  In live view you can now see your composition on the back of the camera.  Now, using the zoom feature on your camera (much the same way you would zoom on an image after you shoot to check focus), you can zoom in super close on the area you wish to have tack sharp.  Adjust your manual focus ring until you've got what you need, then turn off the "live view" mode. 

Shoot your photo and you'll have perfect focus, even on subject which you can barely see in your view finder.  Works like a champ.

The internet is full of camera reviews ready to tell you what camera to buy.  The problem is, that more often than not, what you are getting is a long list of features and statistics which mean little to the average first time DSLR buyer.  Often laypersons get sucked into a specific camera based on a feature set which sound "neato" but in reality has little or no importance at all in how you use your camera.  The features which truly matter are often downplayed (or deliberately excluded) from the marketing materials so that manufacturers can focus on their latest gimmick.

The following article covers those features/attributes of DSLR cameras which are most often presented in reviews, and attempts to explain their importance (or complete lack of importance) and where to focus your research.

How to Stack: Stacking is a method of organization which helps you to bundle "like" images together.  That being images which are extremely similar in content, part of a multiple shot series (example: HDR series, time lapse series or rapid fire series).  The idea being if you have dozens of images that are nearly the same or need to be together to make sense, then why fill up your entire screen with them all.  A single representative image will tell you all you need to know about the remaining "x" number of images.

To stack images you simply select all the images in a series or group which you wish to add.  You do this by clicking on an image (hold ctrl pc /alt mac) to continue selecting multiple images.  You can also select a large group of images in order by clicking the first images (hold shift) and then bookend the entire series by clicking again on the last image.

Once your images are highlighted, you can right click > stacking > group into stack.  You'll now see all your images compress into a single image with an "x of y" box in the corner showing you the total number of images in the stack.

Stacking Automatically:  So what if you've shot hundreds of photographs and every photograph is part of a series?  

I've noticed more often than not, when people import their images into Lightroom, that they try and decide what to keep and what to toss all at once.  In other words, they will import their files and then starting from image #1 they move down the line "keep it",,,, "toss it"….   and at the same time they may also attempt to rank it, decide their favorites and decide what to show on their website or portfolio – All this in a single viewing.  I'd like to present my method for sorting my imports and explain why the process needs structure and objectivity.

In the end you'll find it's easier, faster and gives better results.

This excerpt from The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques by Joseph Mascelli kinda below my mind with how easily it explains good composition.  It really does cut through all those "rules" (which have their place for sure, but I think boil down to this overall theme of simplicity described below).

“The secret of good composition can be explained in one word: simplicity. A complicated or cluttered composition, even though it obeys all rules of good composition, will not be as effective as a simple one. Simplicity does not imply starkness. A simple composition is economical in use of line, form, mass and movement; includes only one center of interest; has unified style which harmoniously integrates camera angles lighting, tonal and color values.

The web is a massive resource for finding information about photography.  How to do this, where to find that, best practices, etc..  but while it is a lucrative source of knowledge it is also a giant dumping ground for crap.  So much of the information out there is wrong, recycled and incomplete, thus tracking down the quality material is more work than your average person wants to deal with.  

Good news for you!  Since it's my job to stay up on the latest trends, skills, blah blah blah…  I have no choice but to plow through this sea of material looking for quality information.   I see no reason why you should have to do this when I've already done it, so I'm creating this page where I will list anything of value I find, as I find it.  Bookmark this page and come back to it whenever you're looking for new tutorial resources to read. 

Fall is an amazing time to photograph landscapes and nature, however, just pointing the camera at the pretty colors is not likely to get you a wall hanging.  Even if it does, it's just a wall hanging like a thousand others.  So what can you do to help spice up the your fall photography?  Here's some ideas which may help inspire a better day of shooting on your next fall photography trip.

A very quick and simple method to add lens flare to any photograph if you want to enhance a light source in the photo.  This works well for adding a little intensity to a concert photograph or giving an eithereal feel like in the photo below.

• create a new layer and fill with black
• use “lens flare” filter (filter>render>lens flare) and add a lens flare.  You have to add the black color (or white or grey) because “lens flare” won’t work on an empty layer.
• next step is to remove all that fill color using a blending mode.  In the case of black, “screen” mode will remove the black from that layer.
• now you can place that flare on top of existing light source within the image (for instance stage lights in a concert, or the sun in a landscape, etc).
• You can resize and relocated the flar by simply moving the layer around.
• If you find yourself seeing “sidebars” caused by the edge of the layer then either erase with a soft brush or use a gradient mask to remove it.

Photoshop of course is an amazing way to do touch up work on portrait photography.  However, all too often the touch up artist takes things too far, either by choice or more often becuase they simply don't know the techniques for doing natural touch up work in Photoshop.  The following article gives you some great touchup techniques for skin, eyes, lips and teeth that result in very realistic natural looking images.  As with anything in Photoshop, there are a hundred variations on these techniques, but to get the basic concept down, just grab a portrait of yourself and follow along with the tutorial steps.

It’s not necessary to take a trip to somewhere exotic just to get an interesting photo.  Everyday life is filled with amazing photo opportunities and often they can be found right within your own neighborhood.   Urban areas are prime with ever changing subject matter and circumstance, so grab your camera and see what  you can find within the borders of your own city or town.  The following article is full of great advice on how to make the most from a jaunt around around town with your camera in hand.